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The New HCG Diet

The HCG Diet Controversy, Pt 1 (4:51)

By now you’ve probably heard about it: the HCG Diet, an extreme diet that involves injections of HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). HCG is the hormone women make when they are pregnant. Previously, the HCG Diet was defined by a 500-calorie diet paired with daily injections of HCG.

From This Episode:

This diet is associated with dramatic weight loss, up to a pound a day. But the problem, up until now, was that no doctor could explain how it worked, and critics claimed the caloric restrictions are responsible for the weight loss and not the HCG hormone. Critics of the diet have also maintained that the weight lost can’t be kept off. The HCG Diet has also had some odd rules. For example, it required the consumption of only one vegetable per meal, prohibited the use of oil, body lotions and hygiene products, and limited use of the HCG hormone to odd cycles of 23 and 46 days. The Diet also did not allow exercise. In addition, there had been no published guidelines on how to dose the HCG hormone; as a result, most providers of this diet are generally using random dosing of the prescription hormone. This was called the Simeons Protocol, and, in my opinion, it was wrong.

After years of research and treating thousands of patients, I am setting the record straight. The Simeons Protocol should no longer be in practice by any physician. My protocol is supported by numerous studies and clinical trials, the latest of which was presented to weight loss physicians at the October 2012 meeting of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, and can be read at DrEmmasDiet.com. My dosing method is customized, with much higher doses than previously published, and I’ve created specific guidelines for patients based on age and gender. I offer diets ranging from 500-1500 calories, and the diet should be chosen based on the patient and their history. I also encourage the proper types of exercise.

So, the most pressing question is: Do HCG injections work for weight loss? My answer is yes, absolutely. The trickier question is: How does HCG work for weight loss?

Here is my explanation, based on my research. Remember, HCG does not make you lose weight – the diet makes you lose weight! However, the HCG injections change how you lose weight!